MARGOT ROBBIE'S MYSTERY NEW MOVIE: WHY THE WEEK OF PAIN HAS FILM FANS BUZZING
Margot Robbie has found her next project, and it is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing films on her already impressive slate.
According to Variety Australia, the Queensland-born star will lead The Week of Pain, a new film written and directed by Norwegian filmmaker Kristoffer Borgli.
The news broke on November 13 in the United States and landed in Australian feeds on the morning of November 14.
What we know about Margot Robbie's new film
The details are still firmly under wraps, which is half the fun.
No plot has been revealed, no other cast members have been named and there is no word yet on when or where filming will take place.
What we do know is who is behind it.
Indie powerhouse A24, the studio behind a string of cult favourites, will produce and finance the film.
Square Peg, the production company run by Hereditary director Ari Aster and producer Lars Knudsen, is also on board, along with Dilemma Films.
And in a move that will surprise nobody who has followed her career, Robbie's own production company LuckyChap is producing too.
Variety's reporting suggests that, based on Borgli's track record, audiences can expect something squirmy, with plenty of cringe comedy mixed into the drama.
Who is Kristoffer Borgli?
If his name rings a bell, it is probably thanks to The Drama, which was released in April this year.
That film starred Robert Pattinson and Zendaya as a couple whose wedding week is thrown into chaos by a secret from childhood.
It was a genuine sleeper hit, taking about US$135 million worldwide on a budget of roughly US$28 million.
Before that, Borgli made Dream Scenario, the offbeat comedy starring Nicolas Cage as a man who suddenly starts appearing in strangers' dreams.
His films have a knack for taking an everyday social situation and pushing it until it becomes almost unbearably awkward, in the best possible way.
Pairing that sensibility with Robbie, who is brilliant at playing characters with a little chaos bubbling under the surface, sounds like a very clever match.
A huge couple of years for Margot Robbie
The Week of Pain is just the latest chapter in a remarkable run.
Robbie most recently played Cathy in Warner Bros' Wuthering Heights, opposite fellow Aussie Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff.
That bold retelling of the classic Emily Brontë romance went on to earn around US$241 million at the global box office.
She is also attached to a prequel to Ocean's 11, which Bradley Cooper is directing and starring in.
Speaking at CinemaCon earlier this year, Robbie revealed that the story centres on an "epic heist" at the 1962 Monaco Grand Prix.
From Neighbours to Hollywood royalty
For many Australians, Robbie will always be the bright young actor from Neighbours, the soap she starred in from 2008 to 2011.
Born in Dalby, Queensland, on July 2, 1990, and raised mainly on the Gold Coast, she made the leap to Hollywood with The Wolf of Wall Street in 2013.
From there came Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad and two Oscar nominations, for I, Tonya and Bombshell, as noted by Britannica.
In 2014 she co-founded LuckyChap, and the company has since become a major creative force in its own right.
Then, of course, there was Barbie, the 2023 pink phenomenon that took more than US$1.4 billion worldwide and turned a toy into a cultural moment.
What makes Robbie so watchable is that she rarely plays it safe.
Choosing a strange, secretive film from one of cinema's most mischievous new voices is exactly the kind of risk that has defined her career.
When can we see it?
Sadly, there is no release date yet, and with filming details still unannounced, it may be a while before we see a trailer.
In the meantime, it is the perfect excuse to catch up on Borgli's earlier work or revisit a few of Robbie's best performances.
A cosy night in with I, Tonya and a bowl of popcorn sounds like a very good plan to us.
We will keep you posted as more details emerge about this mysterious new role.
